In a world of Zoom background requirements and virtual interactions, everyone deserves to feel special at least once a year. Birthdays are beautiful occasions that celebrate the number of years you have been a blessing to your loved ones and coworkers.  

As an employer or manager, it can be challenging to trend the line between boss and friend. Still, it would be best to celebrate your team members on their special days. There are several easy ways to incorporate a celebration into the workday without interfering with productivity. 

1. Leave Personalized Notes

As you wrestle with backgrounds for Google Meet and figuring out presentations, you may not find time to decorate a full-scale birthday bash. Thankfully, there is no need to be so brash with the celebration. Many people are happy to receive personalized notes. They do not have to be fancy, just something saying how valuable the person is and how they are appreciated. Be sure to mention some specifics to make the card personal. 

2. Organize a Team

No one said the boss needed to do all the planning. Set up a private meeting, including immersive Zoom backgrounds, to select a group of birthday-loving team members. The group will be responsible for all the party planning and prep for all employees. If you choose to use a group, remember to put a budget on the parties so team members aren’t going through all your petty cash on one celebration. 

3. Decorate Their Desk

If everyone is back in the office, a wonderful way to celebrate a birthday is to decorate the individual’s desk. You can hang banners and balloons and tape cray paper to the cubicle walls, anything to liven up their workspace. If you are going to decorate their workspace, make sure to do it the night before, so it is a surprise in the morning. 

4. Take Them To Lunch

If you want to be the world’s best boss, you can take the birthday celebrant out for a nice lunch. Better yet, if you do not know the employee well enough, you can gift them a gift card to a local restaurant so that they can enjoy a meal with friends or family. Make sure you give enough to cover the meal. 

5. Sweets and Goodies

Birthdays are synonymous with cake. Therefore, you can always stick with the tried and true. Buy a custom cake for the celebration. If you don’t want a cake, consider cupcakes or any baked goods. You can also opt for candies. 

Additionally, a birthday is not a birthday without presents. Consider gifting something small and affordable. A person’s birthday is a time to show them how much they mean to the company. 

6. Ask Their Friends

If you are at a loss for celebration options, ask the person’s coworkers and friends what they might like. The people closest to the birthday person are usually the best to suggest ideas. 

Are you getting ready to celebrate a coworker’s birthday? If so, talk to other business professionals to determine how best to go about it.